Cloaks
This guide introduces you to various types of cloaks and tells you how your guild can customize guild heraldry on guild cloaks. Overview In Everquest 2, cloaks serve many purposes. *Some offer additional stats to boost your skills while adventuring, working on a tradeskill, or harvesting. *Occasionally they grant additional abilities, like Feather Fall, so you can float to the ground slowly. *Others exist only for the sake of vanity. Types of Cloaks As you spend time in Norrath, you may find you have a growing collection of cloaks, all of which serve different purposes. Each type is described below. 'Adventure' Most cloaks that fall into this category will have stats suited to general adventure archetypes, like fighters, healers, scouts, etc, though some are specialized. *As you travel through Norrath and defeat foes, you may loot cloaks to suit this purpose well. *Some quests, like those you complete when and if you choose a deity, provide cloaks with useful stats for adventuring. *Cloaks of this type are also made by Tailors who have the right recipe books to make them. Like other gear in the game, they can be made with common materials and have mediocre stats or they can be made with a rare harvested material and provide better stats than those made with non-rare harvests. *Some cloaks from Legends of Norrath provide useful stats. 'Tradeskill' Like cloaks for adventuring, each tradeskill class has specialized cloaks to suit the stats needed to craft successfully. *Cloaks of this type come from completing quest series for the crafting faction in your home city. *Later in your career, you can get tradeskill cloaks from other treadeskill factions like the Far Seas Supply Division (Faction) *When you reach level 80 in your trade, you can complete the Tradeskill epic quest. Once complete, you will get a cloak that has both specialized stats and an appearance that is only for your class. 'Harvesting' While those who harvest have a variety of gear and charms, like the Overclocked Automated Watersafe Net, to help them boost their skills, there is also a very special cloak that is a must-have item: Cloak of the Harvester. If you plan to spend any time harvesting, it's well worth the time to complete the series of quests to add it to your gear wardrobe. 'Vanity' You're so vain, you probably think this cloak type is about you... *Cloaks of this type offer nothing in the way of stats. They are simply to make you look good while gallivanting in Norrath. :The good news is that if you fall in love with any cloak you loot (provided it matches your class and level) or a cloak you earn when you complete quests, you can wear it forever if you choose. This is done by dropping the cloak into your character's cloak Appearance slot. Placing any gear item (including cloaks) in the appearance slot will not give you additional stats. How to Equip a Cloak in the Appearance Slot :Press C to open the Character Window and click on the Appearance tab. You'll see a special slot to display the look of any cloak you like, while retaining the benefit of those with stats you need for any of the other cloak types. 'Common Sources for Vanity Cloaks' *It's not uncommon to get cloaks of this type during World Events and almost every in-game holiday includes a quest that rewards you with a fine looking cloak themed for the holiday. *Many cloaks that prove difficult to get by from adventuring or crafting have interesting designs. They are frequently worn in the appearance slot after their stats have been outgrown and a newer cloak with better stats has replaced their use in the normal equipment slot. *For the truly vain, a wide variety of cloaks can be purchased with Station Cash from the Station Marketplace. *Many of the cloaks from Legends of Norrath are quite attractive, making them sought-after vanity cloaks. *Those who are in guilds of the right level, but who need the stats of regular cloak while it's in the equipped gear slot, can choose to display Guild Heraldry instead. Guild Cloaks Guild cloaks fall into the vanity category, but they step up to the next level with customization. *They exist for the sole purpose of showing guild pride and making it easy to spot your friends from a distance. *The leadership of the guild can design the look of these cloaks at a NPC, but most guild leaders consult the members for input. *Guild cloaks are also an incentive to get members to complete writs, because the guild level determines three of the design elements you can add to them. *Guild leadership must buy the guild cloak design elements to access options; adding elements and changing the look is paid for using regular currency. This is done by visiting a Guild Cloak Designer in any major city or by using the deign hireling NPC in your guild hall-if your guild has that amenity. *If the guild gets tired of an existing design for any reason, it can be changed again at a cost of Designing a Guild Cloak Once your guild is ready to have its own cloak, the hard part is choosing a design. There are 64 colors in the palette to choose from for each design element of the cloak. One color is applied to the background (main color) and one for each design element. This makes for vast number of looks to try out. :Planning ahead can save a great deal of time, so it's smart to open a discussion about the theme of the guild and choose colors first. For example, a guild might settle on using only 2 colors like red and black if they are based in an "evil" aligned city, while a guild that role plays in a "good" might city pick a theme like "nature" and choose to use 4 shades of green. Settling the issue of color first often guides the choices that follow for the design elements. Of course, there is no obligation to customize all of the elements in the design if simple is appealing too. *The design elements include: :Emblem: This is the large image that appears in the center of the cloak, not unlike a logo for a brand. :Edge: This is the design element that effects what it implies, the outer edge of the cloak. This applies a pattern on the outer portion and the options range from solid lines to intricate swirls that will only show along the edge. :Pattern: This has an effect on a large area of the cloak, depending on the type you choose. These range from color blocks that look like diamonds to intricate swirls that cover broader areas, like the top and bottom of the cloak. But wait! There's more! The bottom edge of the cloak can be flat or come to two points. If you like planning ahead, eq2gallery.com, has a very nice virtual cloak designer that accurately emulates the in-game Guild Cloak Designer. Design Elements by Guild Level This process begins by customizing the background (or base color) of the cloak. Emblem *At level 15 guilds can choose an emblem (seen right). *The unlock cost of this customization option is *Emblems consist of over three dozen symbols such as dragons, a spiderweb, swords, and more. *A guild can customize their cloak when they choose the color of the emblem. Edge *At level 30, a guild can choose to customize the edge design of the cloak. *The unlock cost of this customization option is . *There are about a dozen edge designs like: thick lines, thin lines, dots, squiggles, etc. *A guild can use the same color as the emblem or choose a new edge color. Pattern *Level 60 guilds can customize the pattern of the cloak. *The unlock cost of this customization option is . *Like the emblem and the edge, a guild can customize the color of the pattern design element. The guild can match the emblem or the edge elements or choose a different color. Changing Guild Heraldry To change any part of the heraldry, visit: * - * - * - * - * - * - * New Halas - Displaying Guild Heraldry If your guild has a design in place, you can toggle it on and off as you see fit by doing the following: #Press C to open the Character Window #Equip a cloak in the Equipment tab and remove any you have in the appearance slot. #Click on the Options tab #Locate the checkbox labeled Display Heraldry on Cloak and check it to show the guild cloak. (Uncheck it to hide heraldry) If you want to hide any cloak completely you can also use the drop down in the same tab to display a weapon or shield instead. Guilds may also specify which member ranks may change or display the heraldy by doing the following: # Press "U" to open the Guild Window # Select the "Ranks" tab # Designate the player ranks that may display the heraldy on their cloaks Finding Cloaks on EQ2wikia For a complete listing of all the cloaks on the EQ2wikia, see Category:Cloak (Inventory Slot) :*You can also examine the appearance of other players in-game and track them down here, by doing the following: #Right click on the player whose cloak you like #Place your mouse over the cloak in their appearance slot and right click to open the Examine Window (to see the name of the cloak). #Look it up by name here or if your UI is set to do so, click on the link for this site. (Not all UIs are set to do so) :*One final option is to type the words "EQ2 Cloak" and use the image search option in Google.